


Unexpected Kindness

by Hexiva



Category: Marvel 616, X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Angst, Closeted Character, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Mental Illness, Silver Age, internalized ableism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-13
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-12-27 19:32:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12087852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hexiva/pseuds/Hexiva
Summary: During a fight with the X-Men, Magneto suddenly passes out, and Professor Xavier orders the X-Men to rush him to a hospital.





	Unexpected Kindness

“The world will be mine!” Magneto raged, magnetic force crackling in the air around him. “Bow to me, X-Men, or be destroyed! Your foolish opposition will not prevent me from ushering in a new age of mutant domination and burning away the debris of the old world!”

“Does he ever shut up?!” Iceman asked, throwing up an ice wall to protect himself from a stray bolt of electricity.  The ice absorbed the force but melted under it.

“His loquaciousness just gives us the chance we need to - ” Beast threw himself into a kick, “ - deliver a sharp blow to his posterior!” 

Magneto threw up a force field to stop Beast’s kick from hitting him, but Beast flew past it and crashed into the machine Magneto had been using in his latest vain attempt to conquer the world. The complicated machine sparked and broke on impact.

“No!” Magneto shouted. “You fools! You’ve ruined everything!” He raised his hands, and his force field glowed and exploded out rapidly to strike at the X-Men.

_ Jean, Bobby!  _ came Professor X’s voice in the X-Men’s heads.  _ Protective maneuver C! Now! _

The X-Men moved quickly, their rigorous training having prepared them for this. Beast tumbled towards Iceman, who threw up an ice bubble around the two of them. Warren and Scott darted towards Jean, who threw up her own telekinetic force field, protecting all three of them.

The magnetic force struck their protective bubbles and washed past, leaving them safe inside. Jean let her telekinetic shield fall, and Iceman shattered his.

Beast brushed fragments of ice out of his hair. “Excellent job, Iceman,” he said, “Quick thinking and quicker glaciation.”

Warren and Scott both found themselves sandwiched on either side of Jean, and shuffled away to either side. “Yes, good job, Iceman, and you too, Marvel Girl,” Cyclops said, his face red.

“We better be ready for Magneto’s next - ” Iceman started out, and then his eyes fell on Magneto. “Whoa, what happened to him?”

Magneto was slumped motionless on the ground, his eyes closed and his face pale under his helmet. There was blood dribbling out of his nose.

The X-Men circled around him but hesitated, unwilling to go closer. “What if he’s faking?” Jean asked.

_ He’s not,  _ Professor X answered, his mental voice terse.  _ There’s something wrong. Beast, check his pulse. _

Beast gave Magneto a reluctant side-eye, but slowly approached him and put his broad fingers to Magneto’s neck. He held them there for a few moments, and then nodded. “He’s still alive, Professor, but his pulse is thready. Did you do something to him?”

_ No,  _ Professor X said sharply.  _ He just passed out. We must get him to a hospital immediately. _

“He was just trying to kill us!” Iceman protested.

“Yes,” Jean said, “But we’re better than him. That’s what makes us X-Men.”

“Just because he wouldn’t do it for us doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it,” Scott agreed. 

Beast sighed and picked Magneto up in a fireman’s carry. “Let us get this over with, friends.”

_ Move quickly, X-Men,  _ Professor X said.

Beast wondered at the urgency in the Professor’s voice, but dismissed it. Jean reached out telekinetically and helped support Magneto’s unconscious body, taking some of the weight off of Beast’s shoulders.

Magneto’s helmet slipped off of his head, and Iceman caught it. “Wow, Mags is one old geezer,” he commented, getting a better look at Magneto’s face for the first time. 

“He must be the Professor’s age, at least,” Scott agreed. “Uh - no offense, Professor.”

The professor didn’t respond. But when they arrived at the hospital, Xavier was waiting for them in the waiting room. 

“What are we gonna say about our costumes?” Bobby whispered, as Hank set Magneto down in a chair.

“Don’t worry about it,” Xavier said. “I’ll project an image of civilian clothes over the five of you and Magneto.” He wheeled up to the receptionist. “Hello, ma’am. My cousin Michael passed out suddenly while he was visiting with my children.” He indicated the X-Men, who collectively nodded. “He has a nosebleed and his pulse is unsteady.”

“That must be worrying,” the receptionist said, her brow wrinkling in sympathy. “We’ll get him admitted immediately. While a doctor is seeing to him, can you fill out this paperwork?” She handed Xavier a clipboard.

Xavier took it. “Thank you. We’re all very worried about him.”

“Yeah, right,” Bobby muttered. Xavier shot him a glare.

The nurses brought out a stretcher and wheeled Magneto into the hospital proper, while Xavier sat in the waiting room and filled out the paperwork. 

The X-Men stood awkwardly around, exchanging occasional glances. Although no one said anything, all of them had a nagging feeling that it was  _ weird  _ that the Professor was so concerned about Magneto’s well-being. Of course they didn’t think that they should just leave someone to die, but . . . there was something  _ off  _ about the way the Professor was acting.

Hank watched as the Professor diligently filled in the ‘medical history’ part of the intake paperwork. “Professor, are you making up his medical history?” he asked. “If you don’t know, you should just leave something blank. Giving them false information might make it harder for them to treat him.”

“I’m not,” Charles said, diligently filling in details about Magneto’s family history.

“I thought you couldn’t read his mind,” Hank said.

“Mmm,” Charles agreed, and didn’t elaborate. The X-Men exchanged glances.

When he was done with the paperwork, he wheeled up to the counter with it. Bobby leaned over as he passed, and his eye caught on the name written at the top. “Patient’s Name: Michael Xavier.” 

Was that Magneto’s real name? Bobby wondered. He couldn’t really be the Professor’s cousin, could he? Surely the Professor would’ve mentioned by now. After all, he told them that the Juggernaut was his step-brother. No, he decided. It would be ridiculous to assume that the Professor had  _ two  _ supervillains in his family. 

But he couldn’t help but notice the tension in Xavier’s shoulders. He was really worried about Magneto. Was he just that nice of a person? Or was there something else Bobby was missing?

“Thank you,” the receptionist said politely. “If you want, you can go home now, and we’ll call you if there’s any development.”

Xavier’s shoulders tensed more. “I’d rather stay here and wait.” He turned to the X-Men. “Jean, can you get the others back to the school and wait for me here? I’ll be back soon.”

The X-Men exchanged another glance. “Professor . . . ” Jean said. She glanced at the receptionist, trying to figure out what she could say in front of her.

“It’s all right,” Xavier said. “I’ll be fine. Just go and work on your homework.”

“If you say so, Prof,” Bobby said, doubtfully.

The day dragged on. People walked in and out of the emergency room, and Xavier shut out their minds, watching the sunlight pass across the room. 

He didn’t realize he’d fallen asleep until a nurse tapped him on the shoulder, and he jolted awake, adrenaline flooding his veins. He stared, wide-eyed, at the nurse for a moment, and then took a deep breath, remembering where he was. “I’m sorry, I must have drifted off,” he said. “Is there any news?”

“He’s awake,” the nurse said, smiling. “It turned out he was just dehydrated. We’ve got him on an IV. He wants to talk to you.”

Xavier caught his breath, surprised by the wave of relief that washed over him. “That’s wonderful news.”

“Right this way.” The nurse led him down the nondescript white halls of the hospital and held open the door to a room. “I’ll leave you alone,” she said, and shut the door behind him.

“Charles.” Magneto’s familiar voice was weak and ragged. He lay on his side under the sheets, hooked up to an IV bag. The lines on his face looked deeper than ever.

“How are you feeling?” Xavier asked.

“My head hurts. I think I . . . pushed myself too far,” Magneto said.

“The nurse said you were dehydrated.”

“Yes. Well. I suppose I forgot to drink.” Magneto waved a hand vaguely. “I was . . . busy.”

“Too busy to drink water?” Charles moved his wheelchair closer.

“I had other things on my mind,” Magneto snapped. “You’re not my caretaker, Charles.”

“No,” Charles said. “But I worry about you. I know we’ve always . . . differed philosophically. Politically. But lately, you haven’t seemed . . . like yourself.” Charles thought about Magneto’s wild eyes and mad rantings.

“Perhaps I’ve changed,” Magneto said, heavily. “Or perhaps you never knew me as well as you thought.”

“It’s not as simple as that,” Charles said. “You were always a hothead. But now you seem . . . unstable.”

Magneto scowled at him. “Did you bring me here only to accuse me of being a madman?” he snapped. “I am fine, Charles. It is the world that is sick.”

“It doesn’t have to be one or the other,” Charles pointed out gently. 

“I’m  _ fine,”  _ Magneto snapped.

Charles didn’t respond. He could see there was no arguing with Magneto.

They were silent for awhile. Then Magneto looked up at Charles and asked, “Why  _ did  _ you bring me here, Charles? You could have killed me where I lay. Or, if that was too much for you, simply left me there. Instead you’ve admitted me here under a false name and stayed for hours. You haven’t even alerted the human authorities to my presence here.”

“Could the human authorities really hope to contain you?” Charles asked. 

“That’s not the point,” Magneto said sharply. “You’re dodging the question as always, Charles.”

Charles sighed. “Yes, I do tend to do that, don’t I?” he mused. “Magneto . . .  _ Magnus . . .  _ I still care about you. You were . . . I’ve never met anyone like you before,” he confessed, in a sudden rush. “Someone who refused to hide who and what he was, who couldn’t be changed or controlled. Meeting you was like . . . finding the missing half of my soul.”

Magneto looked up at him, his expression unreadable in the harsh hospital lights. “Why, Charles,” he said softly. “If I didn’t know better, that might sound like a confession of love.”

Charles’ hands tightened on the wheels of his chair. “I . . . I swear to God, Magnus, if you try to use this against me . . .”

Magneto sat up in bed and laughed. “Charles! All these years, you’ve been hiding from the world that you’re a mutant - and I never said a word. Your secrets are safe with me, my friend. They always will be.”

Charles relaxed slightly. “Thank you, Magnus. I should have known better than to doubt you. You have always been an honorable man.”

Magneto reached out and put his hand over Charles’. “Charles . . . You should’ve told me you felt that way. Back in Haifa, in Israel, when we might’ve had a chance to . . .”

Charles couldn’t breath. He tried to shape his thoughts into words, and failed. Instead, he turned his hand over and clasped Magnus’s hand in his. 

Magnus leaned over and pressed his dry lips to Charles’. “I have loved you for a long time, Charles,” he said, pulling back to look at the other man. “I thought . . . back in Haifa, before I knew you were a mutant as well, I imagined you might hate me for being what I am. And I was still mourning, besides - and then by the time I was ready to move on, we - you and I - ” He gestured between them. “Were at odds. And I have never been eager to . . . make myself vulnerable, less so to a known enemy.”

“Is that what we are?” Charles asked. “I still want to be your friend.”

“Or more?” Magnus said, with a suggestive flick of his eyebrows. But then he turned serious. “Charles . . . our views are irreconcilable. I intend to free our people, and I cannot allow you to stand in my way.”

“Free them?” Charles said, a sharp edge to his voice. “Or replace one tyranny with another?”

“I am not a tyrant,” Magnus said, drawing his hand back. “I do only what must be done for the good of our people.”

“If I asked Toad, do you think he would agree with that?” Charles said, harshly.

“Of course!” Magnus snapped.

“Because he’s  _ terrified  _ of you!” Charles protested. He felt as though he could see Magnus slipping further away from him with each word, and he was helpless to stop it. “The entire Brotherhood is!”

“As well they should be!” Magneto said. There was a gleam of that manic energy back in his eyes. “How else am I to control them?”

“With kindness,” Charles snapped. “With real understanding and leadership.”

“Bah!” Magneto said. “Easy enough for you to see. You speak of understanding and equality, and yet you yourself lead a team of children because you cannot bear to face any challenge to your power!”

“That’s not true!” Charles snapped. “That isn’t what this is about! I want my students to have the childhood, the opportunities, that we never had!”

“But you cannot do that without uprooting the system!” Magnus said. “You imagine you can fix the world with half-measures and no bloodshed, but it is simply not possible!”

“And you would rather burn the world down than see it out of your control!” Charles snapped.

They both sat there, glaring at each other, catching their breath.

“Well,” Magnus said, after a long moment. “I suppose that just about sums it up, does it not?”

“Yes,” Charles said quietly. “I suppose it does.” He rubbed a hand over his eyes, suddenly exhausted. “I’ll leave you now,” he said. “You needn’t worry about the bills - I’ll cover them.”

“Wait,” Magnus said. He leaned over, one hand on the armrest of Charles’ wheelchair, and kissed him again, cupping Charles’ chin with the other hand.

Charles wrapped his arms around Magnus’s shoulders, clinging to him as if he could prevent the world from tearing them apart.

Eventually, though, they broke apart.

“In another life, Charles,” Magnus said, smiling sadly. “Go back to your students.”

Charles blinked back tears. “If there were another way - ” he said.

“But there isn’t,” Magneto said. “Go. We will meet again - on the battlefield, most likely. And I will be ready for you, old enemy.”

“And I, you,” Charles said. 


End file.
